


condemnant quod non intellegunt

by uwujinism



Series: stray dragon kids [1]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Attempt at humour, Dragons, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, also i hate circuses you’ll see and understand, chan is a little bit important, changlix are barely mentioned, chanho are a chaos duo, everything minsung do they do for the gays, half of this is crack half is serious, i love dragons they're awesome, i'm still not over when they held hands in ep2, it means they condemn what they do not understand, jilix are besties uwu, jisung loves dragons, minho is scared of them, minsung is the og skz ship and you can't change my mind, part of a series with all my favourite ships uwu, soft uwu content, some hurt comfort bc i love making my sons suffer, stay safe, thank you minsung, that's how much i love them, the title is in latin because latin is cool, this plays in like the middle ages but with better hygiene? idk you'll understand the setting, tiny mentions of blood and violence but nothing too graphic, uwu dragons, uwu minsung, which is why we stay winning, you’ll know when it comes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-08-08 00:43:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16419194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uwujinism/pseuds/uwujinism
Summary: ‘Where are we going?’Jisung makes a turn and Minho feels kind of relieved. These streets are far less crowded and it's easier to breathe. Or that might just be because being around Jisung makes it easier, Minho can’t really tell the difference yet. Jisung still doesn’t let go of his hand but who would he be to complain about that.‘You’ll see.’Usually, Minho hates surprises. He likes being in control of the situation, having the upper hand and being prepared for what’s to come, but he doesn’t feel nervous now. Not when Jisung is holding his hand and smiling at him cheekily and the boy’s eyes are shining and his tongue is poking out from behind his teeth which just makes him look infinitely cuter. If Jisung says he’ll see, then he will wait and see and so he just nods. A moment later he realises that Jisung couldn’t possibly have seen his nod since he is walking in front of him and the younger’s eyes are already trained on the street again. He just gives Jisung’s hand a little squeeze.It gets returned and his chest contracts.





	condemnant quod non intellegunt

**Author's Note:**

> hiiiii  
> i've been working on this fic for like five months now and i'm finally posting it! i hope the work was worth it and you guys enjoy it uwu  
> i'm not a hundred percent satisfied with the beginning but i like how it developed so i hope you will too!
> 
> this work is part of a series with five other works. they will have all og skz ships (woochan, changlix, seungjin and more or less solo jeongin with a cool surprise) and an ot9 'conclusion' in the end but they can be read as standalone works! it will probably take me a while to get all of them up because school is a lot rn and i have only planned everything but written very little... i hope you will still be patient with me and look forward to them all!
> 
> for now, enjoy minsung with dragons! let me know how you liked it in the comments and feel free to ask if you have any questions about this au!

_ “Good and evil are a great deal more complex than a princess and a dragon... is not the dragon the hero of his own story?” - Erin Morgenstern _

**龍**

Minho stops for a second, propping his hands on his knees and trying to catch his breath. He sees his mother from the corner of his eye and sighs. He knows that her persistence is just a way of showing her care and affection but Minho honestly wishes she would show it in a way that drains a little less energy from him. There’s a voice at the back of his head that screams ‘you’re just handling this situation wrong’ at him but  _ he can’t be bothered _ , even less so when the voice sounds like Chan. He takes another deep breath before getting back on his feet and quickly scanning his surroundings for an escape route. 

He is pretty sure he ruined someone’s freshly bought apples by bumping into them, but he doesn’t have the time for any more than a rushed ‘pardon’ before rounding another corner. A weight drops from his shoulders when he spots and enters a small, inconspicuous side alley. His mother never sets foot anywhere off the plastered main road, afraid to get her expensive scarlet dress ruined. He is safe here, at least for now.

If he wasn’t severely lacking oxygen after his unexpected and tiring exercise, he would have held his breath as he pressed himself against the brick wall of the house behind him. The stone is cold, bumpy, and overall extremely uncomfortable. But Minho just closes his eyes and lets out a deep breath of relief. The voice at the back of his head scoffs at him but he ignores it because  _ his approach worked, didn’t it? _

‘Hey, are you okay?’

Minho’s eyes shoot open and he is faced with a boy, looking, no, staring at him curiously. Under different circumstances, he probably would have felt embarrassed to be examined like this but right now he was too starstruck to feel flustered. The boy must be around his age and height and his eyes sparkle a little. Or Minho might just be a little delusional. His brown hair falls over his forehead in soft curls, the same kind of curls his own hair is probably forming right now due to the annoyingly humid air. They look much cuter on the stranger though.

‘I guess so,’ he answers. He still hasn’t quite caught his breath and he has to blink a few times until his eyes can focus again.

The boy doesn’t seem convinced, maybe it’s because Minho’s voice sounded a little shaky or maybe he’s just naturally curious. He pulls away a little and Minho finally has room to breathe. He lets out another breath he didn’t know he was holding and closes his eyes again for a moment. The protruding parts of the brick wall are still stabbing into his back and he furrows his brows in pain. Reluctantly, he opens his eyes and pulls away from the building to stand up straight.

The boy is still there, right in front of him, and now that Minho is standing he triumphantly realises that the boy is actually a few centimetres shorter than him. Yet, the other is still all up in his space. It’s confusing and Minho has the urge to step back a bit. However, much to his chagrin, the back of his left foot is already touching the wall behind him, so that’s not an option. His shoulders rise up a little as his whole body tenses. The boy steps back a bit and the tension leaves Minho’s body. He noticed. God bless perceptive people. Minho exhales again.

‘What brings you here?’ The boy looks him up and down and Minho’s expression darkens a little, but when the boy looks him in the eyes again and Minho can’t see so much as a speck of judgement, his face softens. ‘You look a little out of place in a dark sketchy alley like this, to be honest.’ Or scratch that. Perceptive people suck.

Minho huffs and automatically puffs out his chest. ‘And why would I tell a stranger?’ He is aware of how arrogant he sounds and curses himself. He doesn’t want to admit it, but the boy seems interesting and it would be a shame to scare him away. The fact that he approached Minho in the first place is reassuring though, and Minho’s apprehensions remain unfounded.

‘My name is Jisung. I live around the corner and my dad is a carpenter so I usually help him on the market or in the shop when I’m not at school.’ The boy, Jisung, smiles brightly and once again Minho thinks if there wasn’t a wall behind him he would have stumbled backwards. ‘Now I’m not a stranger anymore, so can you tell me what you’re doing here?’

Minho blinks and Jisung blinks back. They stay silent for a few seconds until Jisung tilts his head and Minho gives up. ‘I’m running from someone?’ His voice hitches at the end of the sentence so it sounds like a question and Minho thinks that sometimes he really understands why Chan scolds him so much.

Jisung’s face lights up. ‘Are you a criminal?’ It honestly concerns Minho a little bit that the thought of meeting a criminal seems to excite Jisung but he can’t give it any more thought since Jisung is already moving on. ‘You don’t look like one…’ He pointedly looks at Minho’s clothes and then his eyes meet Minho’s again. ‘But that’s exactly what you want me to think.’ Minho raises one of his eyebrows and Jisung smiles. His cheeks squish up a little when he does, Minho notes. It’s cute.

He contemplates on what to answer to Jisung’s small monologue and opts for a simple ‘I’m not a criminal.’ Jisung cocks his head and stares into his eyes for a few more seconds before smiling and holding out his hand.

‘That’s good to hear. What’s your name then, Mr. Not-A-Criminal?’

‘Or maybe you should just call me that.’ Minho doesn’t take Jisung’s hand and the other lets it drop reluctantly.

Jisung shakes his head determinedly. ‘Way too long, I don’t have that much time or patience.’ He says it with so much earnest and truthfulness that Minho almost laughs. Almost.

_ Brutally honest is nice _ , he thinks and his lips form a small smile. ‘It’s Minho,’ he answers just as Jisung’s smile starts to falter a little. 

A new friend is good, as Chan would say. Moreover, Jisung’s company is a welcome distraction from his mother. It’s not that he doesn’t like her, necessarily. It’s sweet, really, how much she cares for him despite the fact that he’s been brushing her off since he turned thirteen. Chan keeps scolding him for it but complies with nonetheless when Minho pleads for him to tell his mother he is unavailable when she visits again. 

Jisung’s smile immediately brightens again and his cheeks do the Thing again. Something inside Minho’s chest contracts in an unfamiliar, yet not necessarily bad way. ‘It’s nice to meet you, Minho. So if you’re not running because you’re a criminal, what is it then?’

While Minho thinks about how to explain that he was running from his own mother, Jisung blabbers on. ‘Are you perhaps a celebrity running from crazy fans? With your looks, you could be one.’ Minho’s chest does that contraction thing again.

‘I’m running from my mum?’ 

His voice goes up again.  _ Why is he incapable of forming statements that don’t sound like a question?  _ The voice in his head (he’s going to start calling it kinda-Chan, the resemblances are too abundant) is laughing at him.

Jisung’s eyes widen and his mouth forms a soundless ‘Oh’. He thinks for a second and Minho almost thinks he ruined his chances of befriending him. He lets his eyes drop to the ground.

‘I hope I’m not prying too much,’ Jisung starts after a short silence and Minho’s eyes immediately shoot up again. ‘But why?’ Minho can feel that there are lots of questions burning on Jisung’s tongue but the other doesn’t ask them all and Minho is kind of grateful for that. He straightens his back and takes a deep breath to prolong his answer. Jisung tilts his head expectantly. He can practically hear Chan sighing at him for making this  _ more dramatic than it has to be _ . It’s not Minho’s fault that Jisung looks so gullible and misunderstood something he said. There’s no harm in having a little fun.

‘She keeps sending me on blind dates.’

Jisung looks at him for a moment before bursting into a fit of giggles. There’s that feeling in Minho’s chest again. Maybe he should get that checked. He furrows his brows. ‘What’s so funny?’

‘It’s just-’ Jisung pants in between giggles. ‘- I expected it to be more… dramatic.’

The crease between Minho’s eyebrows deepens but Jisung only keeps giggling. It doesn’t help Minho’s chest condition. Actually, it only worsens it, even more so when Jisung reaches out and taps the wrinkles on his forehead in order to ease them. In the end, Minho does relax his expression and mirrors Jisung’s bright smile.

 

Over the course of the next hour, Minho finds out that Jisung is actually two years younger than him and that he has a younger sister. In exchange, Minho tells him about his life as an only child. It makes Minho envious, hearing about how in Jisung’s family everyone took care of everyone. He briefly wonders what his life would have been like if his father had been home more often or if he’d had an older brother helping him with his homework. Jisung keeps saying that his sister is ‘the spawn of Satan’ but the fondness in his eyes tells Minho otherwise. He also discovers that Jisung doesn’t want to become a carpenter and he was afraid of telling his father at first. When Minho asks him about his choice of past tense, Jisung smiles again, making his cheeks squish up. He tells Minho that his father was worried at first but when his sister came in and told them that she would be better than Jisung at running the business anyway, it wasn’t a problem anymore. Jisung’s eyes sparkle with the same fondness as before. It makes Minho wonder. Of course, Jisung’s family was much more supportive than his. His mother mostly cared about him marrying a girl from a nice family and his father was convinced that Minho should follow in his footsteps and become an advisor for the Duke. Minho is sure that his father wouldn’t even listen if he told him what he’d rather do for a living. Jisung doesn’t pry but Minho can tell he has a few questions burning on his tongue. Another time, he thinks as he directs the topic back to Jisung.

‘If you don’t want to be a carpenter,’ Minho picks up one of the stones lying next to him and weighs it in his hand. ‘What do you want to do?’ He tosses the stone against the wall opposite to them. It leaves a small white mark on the bricks.

He blindly reaches for another stone just as Jisung is about to answer, but instead of cold and rough stone, his fingers touch something smooth and surprisingly warm. Minho pulls his hand back and lets out an embarrassingly high pitched squeal. His eyes dart towards the not-stone. It’s  _ definitely _ not a stone. His back bumps into Jisung’s shoulder when he scrambles backwards.

‘Minho, what are you-’ Jisung stops in the middle of the sentence when his eyes find the reason for Minho’s panic. If Minho had been looking at him he would have seen Jisung’s eyes grow even bigger than they already were. ‘Oh my god, oh my god, Minho. Oh. My. God.’

The older bites his tongue a little too hard and he feels even more uncomfortable as he recognises the taste of blood in his mouth. There is a witty remark somewhere at the back of his head, something about Jisung repeating himself, but he is too occupied by the small lizard-like creature slowly making its way onto his leg. His hands are trembling and he is kind of really glad that Jisung hasn’t moved and his back is still leaning against the younger. ‘Help.’ His voice is trembling and Minho wants to curse himself. 

Jisung doesn’t move and the tiny dragon reaches Minho’s knee. It stops there and moves its head slowly to look around but Minho cannot relax yet.

‘Take it off of me, Jisung, please.’ He sounds pathetic and he is aware of that but the dragon is a bigger concern than him looking good in front of Jisung right now. The answer takes a moment and Minho is about to lose his mind when Jisung finally says something.

‘Minho.’ He pauses and Minho wants to die. ‘Are you scared?’

There’s no mockery in Jisung’s tone, just a lot of confusion and shock. Minho doesn’t trust his voice anymore so he nods instead. The motion is tiny, almost unnoticeable, but Jisung understands and a few blurry seconds later the dragon is no longer on Minho’s knee and the tension is leaving his shoulders. Instead, the dragon is on Jisung’s hand now. Minho can’t remember how it got there but at least it’s not on top of him anymore. It’s a lot less scary when it isn’t touching him.

The dragon’s body is the perfect size for Jisung’s hands and its head is about the size of Jisung’s thumb. Its body is covered with red-brownish scales. They look smooth but matte and Minho isn’t sure whether the colour is just dulled by dust and they’re supposed to be shiny but it’s what he assumes. The few other dragons he’s seen were shinier at least. Jisung is scratching the dragon’s tiny neck and looking at him with bright eyes. Minho thinks he might be seeing stars sparkling inside them. It might just be the late afternoon sun reflecting in them, but the look as if they have a life of their own. They weren’t just put there, they belong there.

It’s silent for a while, Jisung playing with the dragon and Minho observing him quietly. Jisung doesn’t seem to notice when Minho moves to create a small space between them and Minho’s heart sinks a little. Which is pretty irrational when you think about it. He met Jisung two hours ago. 

‘I don’t get it,’ Jisung suddenly says.

The younger boy pauses after that and Minho almost thinks he is talking to himself, or the dragon perhaps, and makes a move to get up just when Jisung turns to face him. He slumps back against the wall. A strange feeling of relief washes over him with the reassurance that the words really were meant for him. It even makes his heart squeeze a little. Jisung tilts his head quizzically and Minho bites his lip. The younger’s stare is making him self-conscious again. If Chan could see him right now he would probably laugh at him because unbothered confidence was his trademark. Under usual circumstances at least. Jisung is doing something to him, he’s not sure if he likes it or not.

‘Why are you afraid of this adorable thing?’ Jisung finally continues. He almost looks hurt and Minho feels his chest constrict again. It’s a different kind than before though. More painful, somehow. He swallows. Jisung is staring at him again. It’s stressful. 

‘It has claws?’ Minho doesn’t even believe himself when he says that and Jisung just bites his lips as if to hold in a giggle. It makes him look adorable. Minho wishes he could tell his heart to  _ shut the fuck up _ . He doesn’t say anything else though and Jisung sticks his tongue out a little. He did that before too when he was thinking about Minho’s hiding reasons. It’s one of the things that make Minho’s chest contract in the less painful way.

After a few more seconds of not-as-awkward-as-to-be-expected silence, Jisung looks back at his hand and realises that the tiny dragon left. He looks a bit dejected for a second and Minho can’t even revel in relief, then he gets up and dusts off his clothes before reaching a hand out to Minho.

‘I need to get back to my dad or he’ll be worried.’

Minho takes his hand to get up and nods. ‘Of course.’ His words come out a little rushed. He blames his confused circulatory system from getting up too abruptly. Or maybe it’s that he is too occupied with wondering why Jisung didn’t question his answer any further when he obviously understood it was a pretence. It’s nice though, that Jisung doesn’t say anything more. Relieving. Jisung is really easy to be with.

The younger smiles at him. ‘I really liked talking to you.’ At this point, Minho has lost track of how many times his chest did The Thing. He only nods and there’s a voice at the back of his head scolding him for it. Kinda-Chan should shut up.

It’s only when Jisung actually leaves with a quick wave and a bright smile and his hand feels a little colder, that he realises he never let go of the other’S hand. He stuffs his hand in his pocket and steps out of the alley onto the street again. The street vendors and market stands are closed and there are suspiciously little people on the street. Minho’s mind takes a second to realise that it had also become considerably darker and suddenly the lack of people makes a lot more sense. 

When Chan asks him how on earth it took him three hours to go to the market only to not even bring the tomatoes he was supposed to get he just shrugs and gives him a cheeky grin. The older just sighs and forces Minho to wash the dishes instead. (There’s a short discussion in which Minho offers to cook as a redemption but Chan just scoffs and that settles it.)

**龍**

He meets Jisung again nine days later (not that he was counting) and this time Jisung is startled by him. It gives Minho a sense of accomplishment. Also, Jisung blushes a little when he’s surprised and it is undeniably adorable. Another win for Minho. This time he’s not even surprised by his chest contracting again. Mainly though Minho feels a little more in control of the situation now and that makes him a million times more confident already. Kinda-Chan hasn’t said anything either. 

They run into each other, quite literally, at the marketplace. Jisung walks into him and immediately bows and apologises profusely without even looking at him. It seems like this happens to him regularly. Minho just chuckles. ‘Why so stressed, Jisungie?’ 

The younger looks up and his lips immediately form a smile when he recognises Minho. Another accomplishment for the day. Minho smiles back. ‘Minho!’ There’s something in Jisung’s voice that makes his heart jump a little. Which, really, isn’t that surprising. Jisung looks like he wants to ask something but just as he opens his mouth a little girl calls his name. He sighs a little but then his face lights up again.

‘Hey, I need to get back to help my sister but I really wanna talk to you again… if you’re not too busy running from your mother, do you want to accompany me to our stand?’

Even if he wanted to, Minho could never say no, not when he is faced with such an expectant, bright smile. He just nods, so Jisung grabs his hand and starts walking. 

When they reach the stand they are greeted by Jisung’s little sister. Minho is pretty sure Jisung mentioned her name the last time they met but he can’t remember it. Something starting with an N. Or was it a J?

‘Yujeongie!’ Jisung calls out to the little girl sorting some small wooden accessories in the back of the stand.  Maybe Minho had been a little off with the name. 

The girl turns around to them and as soon as her lips form a smile, Minho definitely sees the resemblance. Her cheeks also squish up a little, even more than Jisung’s actually, and she looks absolutely adorable. ‘There you are! I was wondering where you ran off to.’ She looks at Minho and cocks her head to the side for a second. ‘But I guess you were distracted.’ She smirks (Minho briefly remembers that Jisung spoke of her as ‘ _ the spawn of Satan’ _ ) and he might be reading the situation incorrectly but he’s pretty sure that Jisung just started blushing a little.

Jisung leaves Minho’s side to join his sister behind the stand. It’s a little awkward, the way Minho just stands there, watching the siblings. They are completely in synch, Yujeong counting items and saying some names and numbers and Jisung writing them down in a list. It almost feels like another stab in the chest to Minho. Jisung and Yujeong work together perfectly, communicating with little words and many small gestures and almost unnoticeable glances instead. It is fascinating and admirable. 

After a few, in Minho’s opinion very awkward minutes, Jisung puts down the pencil and turns to Yujeong. He’s about to say something but his sister is faster.

‘Thanks for the help. Now shoo, go do something with that guy, he’s been standing there like a lost puppy for a while now.’ Minho’s face heats up a little and he quickly looks away. 

Two women are arguing about a piece of blue cloth two stands away from him. On the other side of the square, a man and a vendor are arguing over some vegetables. Near the well in the middle two girls are sitting and talking. One of them reaches up to touch the others cheek and Minho quickly averts his gaze again. His eyes meet Jisung’s again who is definitely a lot closer to him now than he was before. He resists the urge to look away again.

Yujeong is giving them eyes and suddenly Jisung is grabbing his hand and pulling him away again with a very short goodbye to his sister and a small thank you. Minho isn’t sure for what but he decides that he doesn’t need to question it, not when he has other things to worry about, like the familiar contractions in his chest. This was definitely Jisung’s fault. Jisung and his stupid soft hands and soft voice and soft smile and squishy cheeks and sparkly eyes.

‘Where are we going?’

Jisung makes a turn and Minho feels kind of relieved. These streets are far less crowded and quieter than the busy marketplace and main road. It’s easier to breathe. Or that might just be because being around Jisung makes it easier to breathe, Minho can’t really tell the difference yet. Jisung still doesn’t let go of his hand but who would he be to complain about that. 

‘You’ll see.’

Usually, Minho hates surprises. He likes being in control of the situation, having the upper hand and being prepared for what’s to come, but he doesn’t feel nervous now. Not when Jisung is holding his hand and smiling at him cheekily and the boy’s eyes are shining and his tongue is poking out from behind his teeth which just makes him look infinitely cuter. Minho is a little surprised himself by how quickly he started trusting Jisung. If Jisung says he’ll see, then he will wait and see and so he just nods. A moment later he realises that Jisung couldn’t possibly have seen his nod since he is walking in front of him and the younger’s eyes are already trained on the street again. He just gives Jisung’s hand a little squeeze. 

It gets returned and his chest contracts.

 

Minho immediately recognises the small alley. Jisung walks up to the stack of empty wooden crates on the left side (probably leftovers from some shop’s inventory), pulling Minho behind him.

The younger carefully moves one of the crates to the side and reaches into the one beneath it. Minho just watches and stuffs his hands into his pockets. They’re not supposed to feel cold when it’s sunny outside. Jisung’s hands are warm.

Jisung turns around and brings his right hand up. In his palm sits the small dragon from a week ago and it takes Minho a lot of his willpower to not take a step backwards. Inside his pockets, his hands clench into fists. The dragon is asleep and Jisung smiles contentedly as he starts to tickle its neck with his other hand. 

Minho watches closely as the small dragon’s tail begins to move and its eyelids flutter open. Once it’s fully awake it licks Jisungs hand and the younger reacts with a giggle. Minho’s chest contracts from both fear and Jisung’s cuteness. It’s a weird combination.

The younger boy reaches into his pockets and pulls out some kind of plant. Minho has never been good at botany, despite his mother’s efforts, but he knows enough to say that it definitely isn’t something a human should eat. Jisung offers a branch of it to the small dragon, which takes it excitedly. Minho would be considerably less scared if the dragon’s tiny fangs hadn’t just glistened in the sunlight. 

He watches Jisung feed the dragon for a while and they fall into a comfortable silence that Minho would have really appreciated if he hadn’t been so preoccupied with Jisung’s small friend. Everything almost seems fine until Jisung looks up from the dragon and smiles at Minho. He takes a step forward and Minho manages to keep himself from stepping backwards but fails to keep his hands steady. He hopes Jisung doesn’t notice.

‘She’s cute, isn’t she?’

Minho nods, because Jisung’s smile is really adorable right now and if he were to be the one to wipe it off his face he would have to punch himself in the gut. Kinda-Chan laughs at him and Minho really doesn’t need that kind of negativity right now.

‘Do you want to hold her?’ the younger asks, moving his hands a little more towards Minho and the older thinks his knees might give out. His brain short-circuits though and for some reason, he holds up his hands. For a moment, it seems like the world is holding its breath. Not in the expectant, curious way, more in the terrified, painful way. Even kinda-Chan has stopped laughing. Jisung’s smile and shimmering eyes are a small comfort but Minho still can’t bring his heart to stop racing and his throat doesn’t feel like it’s able to produce sounds right now. He looks down at his palms where Jisung is placing the small dragon and he tries to concentrate on the fact that Jisung’s hands are just a little bigger than his and they feel soft but they’re gone too quickly and he’s left with nothing but the dragon’s cold scales on his skin.

It’s not that bad. The dragon doesn’t move for a moment and its mouth is closed, so nothing can happen, right? It doesn’t even seem to have sharp claws. It’s not that bad. 

Or maybe it is, because his hands are still shaking and his breath hitches and before he knows it Jisung has taken the dragon from him and is holding his hands tightly and looking at him with concern darkening his eyes. Jisung is saying something and Minho doesn’t know what but his voice is soothing and steady and a few horrible moments later he can breathe again. 

‘Minho, it’s okay, you’re okay,’ the younger says. ‘I am so so  _ so  _ sorry for bringing you back here even though I knew you were scared, I should never have done this.’ 

Minho wants to shake his head, stop the younger, really anything, but his brain is still a little disconnected from the rest of his body. Instead, Jisung continues. ‘It was a terrible idea I’ll never do anything like that again, please forgive- ’

‘Sungie, stop,’ he finally manages to say.

The younger blinks and closes his mouth slowly. Minho’s voice is shaking a little but he takes a deep breath and continues.

‘Thank you for apologising, but you don’t need to. You wanted to show me something that makes you happy and I’m really happy that you trust me and want to share this with me. I’m sorry for being not so fond of dragons.’ His words are slow and his voice is unsteady and barely above a whisper, but it’s there.

Minho hadn’t noticed that his hands were still shaking until Jisung grabbed them. 

‘I think I do need to apologise. I should have warned you and asked you if you were okay with it beforehand and I wish I had acted more responsibly. I should have noticed how tense and uncomfortable you were earlier.’ Minho shakes his head but that just makes Jisung furrow his eyebrows. He continues, ‘I feel like ‘not so fond’ is kind of an understatement though, isn’t it?’ Jisung smiles his sweet Jisung-smile and Minho’s shoulders lose a bit of tension.

He nods. ‘It is. I’m terrified of them.’

Funny, how easily this confession rolls off his tongue in front of Jisung. It had taken Minho almost four years to admit that he was more than ‘a little scared’ of dragons to Chan, his closest, most trusted friend. Yet with Jisung it’s as easy as breathing. Something about the younger’s aura is so honest and trustworthy, Minho can’t quite place it but it’s there. It makes him want to return the same honesty. It’s like he can’t lie, even if he wanted to.

Jisung’s grip on his hands tightens a little and the smile leaves his face. Instead, his expression becomes more serious, concern glistening in his eyes. ‘Do you want to tell me about it?’ His voice is low and soft, even softer than usual and Minho feels his chest contract again.

It stays silent for a moment as Minho contemplates his next move. Jisung’s eyes and hands never leave his and when Jisung cocks his head at him something inside his head clicks and he nods a little.

‘Not here though.’ Minho’s voice is low and sounds much more hoarse than Jisung’s. In any other situation he’d be embarrassed about it, but not with Jisung. He really had a worryingly enormous impact on Minho.

Jisung nods and squeezes Minho’s hand. ‘Lead the way.’

 

‘This is so pretty, oh my god, Minho!’ Jisung’s eyes almost have a golden shimmer to them in the orange light of the late afternoon sun.

‘I come here when I need to clean out my head. You can see so much of the town, yet nobody can see you.’

‘You mean nobody except for the old lady whose balcony we climbed over to get up here?’ 

Minho smiles. ‘Possibly.’

Jisung turns around from the edge of the roof and sits down next to Minho. ‘So?’

The tone of the question is soft and careful and Minho almost forgets just how serious the matter at hand is to him.

‘When I say it out loud it always sounds a little ridiculous.’

Jisung hums a little and somehow their hands have found each other again. It’s like they gravitate towards each other. Or maybe Minho just has zero self-control and Jisung is incredibly touchy.

‘I don’t think it’s ridiculous, really. Not if it makes you like this.’

Minho scoffs. ‘That’s what you think now.’

The younger laughs softly but doesn’t say anything. The atmosphere feels lighter now, and it’s easier to breathe. As always with Jisung. Minho likes it.

‘When I was five years old, my mum got us three tickets to the circus for my birthday. I was super excited for it you know, all the stories I’ve heard sounded amazing and doing something with both my parents was a pretty rare occasion. My nanny always read me stories about majestic dragons and brave lion tamers and trapeze artists who could fly without wings, so naturally, I was stoked about the idea of going to the circus.’

Jisung starts drawing tiny circles onto the back of Minho’s hand with his thumb and it’s weirdly calming and simultaneously makes his heart beat just a tiny bit faster than normal. It makes him nervous, but a different, better kind of nervous from the way he is feeling about the story.

‘So we went to the circus, me, my mum and my nanny. My dad was busy, but five-year-old me didn’t really care too much about it, too much excitement,’ Minho continues. A little quieter he adds, ‘In retrospect maybe I should have cared more.’

Jisung’s hand tightens around his and Minho looks over at him. The younger is looking at the scenery in front of them but his eyes look a little too dark for Minho to believe that he is really appreciating the town bathed in golden light. 

‘That is not what the story is about though. The circus show was amazing and I think I never wanted to be an acrobat more in my life. Afterwards, my mum told me she had another surprise and apparently, she talked the owner into letting us see the animals. Or maybe she gave him money. The lions looked so sad, I don’t know how I didn’t turn around right then and there.’

Minho takes a small breath. It feels weird to talk about it. The only person who knows the whole story is Chan. Changbin and he don’t talk a lot, it is already a miracle that they get along at all. His parents are no option and his nanny, the person he would have trusted, retired too soon for him to talk to her about it. So, retelling the whole story now is weird, to say the least. Weird, but not necessarily bad, he decides when he feels Jisung’s head on his shoulder. In his head, he adds  _ his hair _ onto the list of  _ soft things about Jisung _ .

‘That was the first time I ever saw a dragon up close in my life. In the circus arena he looked majestic and beautiful but when I saw him in that cage something in me broke a little I think. His scales looked dull and worn and his wings looked so damaged I think I wondered how he could even fly with them.’

Jisung moves a little on his shoulder and Minho stops talking. Jisung’s grip on his hand is tight and he can tell there’s a question burning on the youngers tongue. Although he isn’t too sure he’s ready for it, he isn’t really ready to continue talking either. He just nudges Jisung to signal his consent.

‘So what did the dragon do? He hurt you somehow, didn’t he?’ Jisung’ voice is careful and calm but the question still makes him uncomfortable. Minho tenses a little and sits up a little straighter. In turn, Jisung sits up too and shifts to look at him.

‘One of the circus workers gave me a bowl with a treat for the dragon and told me there was nothing to be afraid of.’

It’s silent for a few, long seconds while Jisung just looks at Minho and patiently waits for him to continue. Minho can’t really tell if the silence is less painful than talking.

‘He bit me.’ He stutters a little when he says it but his mind is too busy to make him feel embarrassed about it.

The younger bites his lip and furrows his brows but he stays silent.

‘There’s a scar. On my shoulder. My mum had left me with the guards there and the two workers that were around only started helping me when-’ 

Minho stops. His voice was on the verge of breaking and he could feel tears burning in the corners of his eyes. A vivid flashback runs through his mind. He recalls the smell of sulfur in his nose and the taste of blood in his mouth and the sharp, cold teeth, piercing through his shoulder. It almost feels like he’s five years old again, young, small and helpless but then he feels a pair of arms wrap around him and now everything seems a little less scary and real. 

‘Minho, hey. It’s okay, you’re okay. You’re safe.’ 

Jisung’s voice. It’s so soft and warm, just like the younger’s sweater and Minho just nestles further into him.

‘You’re so brave. I’m so proud of you for telling me. You never have to talk about it again if you don’t want to.’

One of Jisung’s hands is calmly stroking his back, the other is slightly playing with his hair and Minho thinks that maybe he really is safe here. Maybe it really will be okay.

**龍**

Jisung looks really cute in green, Minho decides when he sees him three days later. The younger’s school uniform has a green sweater and the colour compliments Jisung’s hazelnut hair amazingly.

The last time they saw each other Minho didn’t exactly look graceful (he was crying, so that doesn’t even count, he tells himself) but today he does, which means he can carry out his carefully crafted plan. Kinda-Chan reminds him that, technically, actual-Chan was the person who came up with the plan but Minho ignores it.

‘Hey Jisungie!’ he calls when the younger is close enough that he doesn’t have to yell. He smiles when Jisung meets his gaze and waves him over. ‘Just got out from your last class, I suppose?’

‘Yup!’ Jisung nods and smiles. ‘What are you up to?’

‘I wanted to talk to you, actually.’

Jisung cocks his head to the side. He always does that when he’s confused. Minho briefly thinks that he remembers Yujeong doing it too and it makes him wonder whether it runs in the family. It’s cute.

‘So, we didn’t end our last conversation on a very happy note…’ 

The younger bites his lip and the smile on his face turns into a more stern expression.

‘I want you to help me get over my fear of dragons.’ Changbin always says if you don’t know how to say something you should say it as bluntly as possible.

Jisung’s mouth forms an ‘O’.

In hindsight, maybe Changbin isn’t the best person to get advice from when it comes to social interactions.

‘I’m so honoured, Minho! This is such a big deal, I’m so proud of you, thank you so-’

‘Yeah, whatever. Don’t be sappy.’ Jisung’s smile fades a little and the kinda-Chan in his head  _ tsks _ at him. He quickly adds, ‘I was thinking I could start by coming with you to feed that tiny alley dragon?’ 

Jisung’s face immediately lights up again. ‘Yes! Of course, that’s a great idea. Actually, I’m on my way there right now, why don’t we-’

Minho just grabs Jisung’s hand and starts walking. For some reason, Jisung’s blabbering is making him flustered and he’s already too nervous about this for his own good. He realises a little too late that he doesn’t really know where the alley is anymore and when he stops in his tracks Jisung walks right into him. 

‘I’m lost…’ Minho’s voice is barely a whisper but he’s pretty sure Jisung heard him because the younger is squeezing his hand again, a silent sign of reassurance. 

Then, he breaks into an amused smile. ‘Did you really drag me away without knowing where you had to go?’

Minho looks away. ‘In my defence, you didn’t stop me.’

‘You’re unbelievable!’ The words themselves sound accusing but Jisung is laughing and it’s kind of infectious. Minho smiles warmly and shrugs lightly.

‘So, what do we do?’

Jisung giggles and so the chest contractions return. Minho sighs a little inwardly. What is it about Jisung that makes him like this? The younger cocks his head to the side and looks at Minho for a while. Maybe he needs to rephrase that question. What  _ isn’t  _ it about Jisung that makes him like this?

Finding a tiny, unnamed alley is much easier when you actually know where you are, so once Jisung asks a shop owner for the way back to the main road, it doesn’t take them very long to get to their destination.

‘I haven’t named her yet, but I’m sure we can think of something together,’ Jisung explains as he turns into the alley. ‘I have a few suggestions but I’d like to hear your opinion on them.’

Minho hasn’t let go of the other’s hand since he grabbed it but when he sees the small dragon approaching them, he parts from Jisung to stay at a safe distance. The younger gives him a small look as if to make sure Minho wouldn’t run away, but he doesn’t say anything.

‘My friend explained to me that dragons usually have Chinese names,’ Jisung tells him as he slowly kneels down to let the dragon climb on his hand. ‘It’s a tradition that originates from the legend of the very first dragon.’ He reaches for his bag and pulls out a small sachet with what Minho guesses is some kind of food.

‘The legend says that the first dragon was a moon dragon that was born when the moon aligned perfectly with the peak of the oldest mountain in the Himalayas.’ The tiny dragon greedily puts its head into the sachet as soon as Jisung opens it. ‘His name was Long, so dragon in Chinese. That’s why, even nowadays, dragons usually have names with Chinese origin.’ 

When the small creature seems to have finished eating it curls itself up in Jisung’s hand. It still fits into his hand perfectly and Minho thinks he can see its eyes closing.

‘It’s only a legend obviously, but I like the idea.’ Jisung softly pats the dragon’s head with the index finger of his other hand and smiles.

The silence between them isn’t uncomfortable but Minho still feels like he should say something. He feels a little like a third wheel but it’s not like he’s in a place to complain. He initiated this, after all. Nonetheless, his mind can’t seem to make up any useful words. Once again it’s Jisung who breaks the silence.

‘I’ve thought of two names,’ he begins. ‘You can’t see it right now but her belly is a really vibrant shade of red so I thought why not name her that.  _ Hongfu. _ ’ He smiles at Minho. ‘I thought it sounded really cute.’

Minho just nods. He admires the way Jisung looks so carefree and comfortable with the small dragon on his hand. It’s pretty pathetic and honestly shameful that he is so afraid of such a tiny creature. It’s not like it could do any harm to him.

‘The other name I was considering is  _ Lilong _ .  _ Li _ means maroon, so essentially it’s just maroon dragon. Boring on first thought but Lilong sounds so cute,’ Jisung giggles. The giggle is absolutely genuine and adorable and it makes Jisung’s cheeks squish up in the same cute way they do when he smiles widely.

‘How adorable.’

Apparently, Jisung thinks Minho is talking about the name since he nods firmly and says, ‘then it’s decided.’ Minho doesn’t correct him.

**龍**

‘I’d like to work in dragon preservation.’ 

Two weeks later and as long as the dragon stays on Jisung’s hand and only moves very little he can stay pretty close to her. Jisung is leaning into his shoulder with Lilong curled up in his hand. She’s actually really adorable when she’s asleep like that. She is fragile, tiny and harmless. It’s not intimidating at all, more like something you need to protect and take care of.

‘They’ve always fascinated me. Did you know that there are over two hundred dragon types? And that’s only the kinds we’ve discovered.’

Minho hums a little and Jisung continues his little rant about dragons. He talks about different types, about where t find them and how to treat them and it makes Minho think that Jisung really chose the right dream for himself. It’s admirable. Jisung is admirable. He’s determined and kind, hard-working and thoughtful and incredibly, incredibly lovely. Minho doesn’t have any other words to describe it. Jisung feels like warm hugs and support, like hot tea and golden sunsets and sparks and home. Lovely really is the only word that comes close to it, because it’s soft and sweet and everything Jisung is to Minho.

**龍**

Four weeks later, Minho is in the alley again, one of his hands tightly holding onto Jisung’s and the other holding Lilong. He doesn’t dare to look away from the small dragon so he doesn’t notice the fond smile on Jisung's face. The younger expresses his pride for Minho and tells him how well he’s doing and Minho’s chest swells a little.

He squeezes Jisung’s hand and the younger squeezes back as he reaches up to pet Lilong on Minho’s other hand. The dragon leans into Jisung’s touch almost longingly and Minho kind of thinks that maybe they’re not that different.

When Jisung retreats his hand, Lilong jumps back onto the ground and disappears inside the pile of wooden crates she’s made her home. Minho proudly notes that he doesn’t feel a wave of relief wash over him due to the dragon’s absence.

‘Sungie,’ Minho asks after a small silence.

The younger hums in response. When Minho glances over at him, his eyes are closed but the rate at which his chest rises and falls tells Minho that Jisung is still awake.

‘How did you know what you want to do later?’

Jisung opens his eyes and sits up straight. 

Minho clears his throat a little awkwardly and looks at his lap. ‘I mean, you probably have a reason, some kind of motivation or something like that…’

‘I do, as a matter of fact. My best friend, Felix.’ Jisung pauses, carefully choosing his next words. ‘Do you know what a Dragonborn is?’

They say when you’re scared of something you know everything about it, right? Or maybe only Chan said that. Minho nods.

‘Well, Felix is one. He has the most gorgeous wings, honestly, you should see them…’ The younger reaches up to brush part of his bangs behind his ears but they’re a little too short so the fall right back. He blows them out of his face instead and Minho’s chest constricts at the sight of Jisung’s puffed out cheeks.

‘But of course, as cruel as the world is, not everyone can see how beautiful they are.’

Minho can already guess where this story is going. Subconsciously he wraps his hand around Jisung's and squeezes it a little. In return, Jisung leans his head on Minho’s shoulder before continuing.

‘He’s bullied a lot, but since we’re in different schools I can’t take care of him always. I can’t even protect my best friend. He says it’s alright, but I see the bruises, Minho… It’s not alright. And I want to do something against that.’

The words seem to float around them, making the air heavy and hard to breathe for the first time ever since Minho has met Jisung. For a while, neither of them speak. But they don’t need to, Minho silently caressing the younger’s hand and Jisung’s steady breath are enough confirmation for them.

**龍**

It’s been almost three months since Minho started meeting up with Jisung every day to go see Lily. (Jisung thought of the nickname because he was too lazy to say ‘Lilong’, although Minho had argued that Lily really wasn’t any shorter. Jisung wouldn’t listen.)

Every day he would meet up with Jisung after the younger’s classes ended and after a few weeks Chan had finally admitted defeat and stopped asking Minho why he wasn’t telling him anything anymore. Not without a comment about how he was  _ adopting all of Binnie’s worst qualities _ though. Minho had just retaliated with a ‘you’re just mad because you’re lonely’ and the sound of Chan’s scoff showed him that he won.  _ This time _ , as Chan would say.

By now, Minho is not only okay with Lilong around, he is actually comfortable and enjoys playing with her. He still avoids helping Chan taking care of other dragons though, he is quite sure that Jisung plays a gigantic part in how comfortable he is with the small dragon. Jisung seems happy with how things are now though, and so Minho is too.

‘Lily, stop that!’

Minho is brought back to the current situation by Jisung squealing loudly and more high-pitched than Changbin when he saw a spider in the bath last week. He looks over to see Lilong sitting on Jisung’s shoulder and flapping her wings as if to get ready to fly away. Her right wing keeps grazing Jisung’s cheek and seeing as there is a small claw at the tip of the wing, probably hurting the younger boy. Minho reaches out to help just as Lily finally takes off and Jisung stumbles backwards.

And suddenly, Jisung is really close. Close enough for Minho to count the lighter brown speckles adorning Jisung’s irises and to feel the younger’s breath on his skin. It feels a little like a spring breeze, refreshing, almost invigorating and it tickles and Minho is itching to do something about this situation. The butterflies in his stomach agree with the spring analogy. Maybe he should take a leap. He slowly moves his hand to find Jisung’s and takes a shaky breath.

‘Please tell me I am not reading this wrong.’ His voice is low and a little unsure but his eyes don’t leave Jisung’s. When he finds nothing but expectancy and hopefulness in the other’s eyes, he decides that he has nothing to lose. Spring is a time of rebirth and a time of new beginnings.

Jisung’s lips are soft, like  _ really _ soft and Minho almost sighs against them. Is there anything about Jisung that  _ isn’t _ soft? His hand moves from Jisung’s hand to his hip and in return, he feels the other’s hand in his hair. Goosebumps spread over his skin as he tilts his head a little more and Jisung lets out a tiny, adorable whine. It is a captivating feeling - so captivating that Minho even forgets about the bumpy brick wall stabbing into his back. This is a  _ really  _ nice new beginning.

As it turns out, they also both forget about something else, or rather, someone else. Minho frowns when Jisung abruptly pulls away and winces a little. His expression eases into an amused smile when he sees Lilong hanging off of (read: biting on) Jisung’s ear. 

Jisung whines. ‘Don’t laugh at me, it hurts!’ His cheeks puff out a little and Minho can’t tell who is cuter, Jisung or the tiny dragon on his shoulder imitating him. He smirks.

‘Poor Jisungie. Do you want me to kiss it better?’ The blush on Jisung’s cheeks settles the argument of the cuter one, it’s definitely Jisung now. The younger mutters a small ‘shut up’ and turns to play with the dragon again. Minho grins. 

‘Now you’re ignoring your own boyfriend for Lily? I knew there was a reason I disliked dragons.’ He pouts a little for good measure and waits for Jisung’s reaction.

‘M-my boyfriend?’ Jisung’s voice sounds a little more high-pitched than usual and Minho immediately puts on a serious expression again.

‘Hey, I’m sorry I just assumed-’

Jisung interrupts him by kissing his cheek and this time it’s Minho’s turn to blush. ‘I like it. Don’t panic, you idiot.’

Minho grins triumphantly. ‘Your idiot.’

Jisung hits him. He can practically hear Chan laughing at him, but honestly, it’s worth it.

**龍**

Being with Jisung was so easy Minho almost forgot about his other obligations. Of course, he couldn’t get out of everything completely, Chan still complained about him not helping and his mum had almost tricked into going onto a blind date with one of her ‘possible girlfriends’ for Minho, but most of his time was spent with Jisung. Or Lilong. 

She reminds him of Jisung. Part of it is, of course, that they are basically raising her and taking care of her together but somehow she also resembles him. She is calmest when she is eating and at all other times, she’s almost buzzing with energy. Much like Jisung, she gets all up in Minho’s space when he doesn’t pay enough attention to her and her favourite place to rest on is Minho’s shoulder. The similarities are truly striking.

Jisung, however, is much louder than the small dragon. Which may be because Lily does not really have the ability to be very loud, but also Jisung is just unconventionally loud.

‘You never told me your roommate owned an orphanage for dragons? I’m so hurt! How could you do this to your very own loving boyfriend when all I ever did was shower you with love and affection,’ the younger complains.

He’s not serious, Minho knows that. If he was he’d be giving him a stern look right now instead of playing with Lily. Still, it makes him feel a little guilty. 

‘Hey, how about I make it up to you with a kiss?’ He smirks.

Jisung turns to face him, and almost laughs but Minho is faster. He reaches for the younger’s chin and moves his face so close to Jisung’s that the younger is much too flustered to laugh at him. Minho smiles cutely.

‘And maybe a visit where you get to pet and play with all of the dragon babies,’ he mumbles quickly before crashing his lips onto Jisung’s. The younger stays frozen for about 1.5 seconds before melting into it. Minho sighs a little and he can feel Jisung smile into the kiss.

**龍**

Maybe Minho should have thought his offer over a little more but it’s not like he can say no to Jisung anyway. Why try when you know you’ll fail?

On the other hand, annoyed Chan isn’t very nice to deal with. 

‘What do you mean you’re coming over to the orphanage with a friend at noon? You couldn’t have told me that at least a day before?’ 

Minho is kind of relieved that he’s the one washing the dishes because Chan sounds like he might smash at least one of their plates right now. They really couldn’t afford that. He puts away the last cup and dries off his hands.

‘Anyway, he likes dragons so I invited him to come to look at the babies. It won’t do them any harm to play with someone other than you and Bin every once in a while.’

Chan growls a little and shuffles out of the kitchen. ‘This friend better be well-behaved.’

Minho shakes his head. ‘He’s a person, not an animal… You seriously need to go outside more often!’ Chan either can’t hear him anymore or he doesn’t want to because there is no response.

**龍**

It’s actually surprising how little Chan embarrasses Minho in front of Jisung. For now at least.

As expected, Jisung’s open and friendly nature (and his cute smile) immediately draw Chan in and the older lets him play with the baby dragons without much discussion. Minho watches as his boyfriend happily walks over to the small enclosure. There’s a bounce in his step that makes Minho feel accomplished. Maybe he should have taken Jisung here sooner.

‘So, a friend?’ 

Suddenly Chan’s voice is in his ear and Minho whirls around so fast that his head ends up spinning a bit. Chan’S fault. ‘Shut up,’ he hisses, slowly turning back to watch Jisung again.

And Chan? Chan has the  _ audacity _ to giggle.

A few moments later Jisung calls out to Minho excitedly and keeping his frown gets too hard to keep up.

‘This one is so cute!’ Jisung is pointing at a small red dragon with golden speckles sprinkled over its scales. ‘It looks fiery and mean but it keeps pushing the other dragons away so I can only play with him. He reminds me of you’ 

This time Chan full-on laughs and Minho hits him before making his way over to his boyfriend. Chan’s laughter slowly fades but Minho doesn’t have to look to know that there is still a smug grin on the older’s face.

“Jisung are you a wizard? How did you tame him, he’s like an obedient puppy with you.”

Minho was going to kill Chan in his sleep tonight. He gives Jisung a reassuring smile before swiftly walking back to his best friend to hit him again. Chan rubs his arm in defeat and mumbles something about  _ domestic violence  _ before reluctantly retreating. Minho sighs in relief.

‘Chan is nice,’ Jisung says with a smile when Minho turns back to him.

‘Sometimes,’ is Minho’s response and Jisung giggles. It sounds like music. Like with Chan’s giggle, Minho suddenly has the urge to punch something, but for a different reason than before.

 

Three hours later Chan comes to find them in the living room and wiggles his eyebrows at Minho. Minho rolls his eyes and shoots Chan a little glare before looking down at his boyfriend again, his expression softening.

‘What can i do when he falls asleep in my lap?, he whispers, not wanting to wake Jisung up.

Chan smiles and shrugs. ‘Just don’t bother Binnie, I’m going out for the night.’

Minho simply nods and Chan winks at him before quickly leaving. Minho would have to kill him another night. He exhales lightly and looks down at the sleeping Jisung in his lap. His bangs are falling over his eyes and by now they’re actually so long that he probably only sees half of everything anymore. Minho brushes a few strands out of the younger’s face. Jisung stirs a little and the older almost feels bad. To his relief, Jisung doesn’t actually wake up.

The bed would be a much more comfortable place to sleep but carrying Jisung is, frankly, a pain in the neck. It’s not that the younger is heavy (quite the opposite - Minho  _ really  _ hopes he is eating well). It’s rather that once Jisung grabs onto something, he doesn’t really let go. And properly carrying someone while they’re grabbing one of your hands is really hard.

The way to his bedroom feels awfully long and when he finally manages to heave Jisung up on the bed, he lets out a big breath of relief. His peace doesn’t last for long though. Before he can get up to go to the closet and change, something tucks at his right sleeve.

‘Stay.’

Minho scoffs. ‘Of course, I’m staying idiot, this is my bed. I’m not gonna sleep on the floor.’ 

‘Hmmm, good,’ Jisung hums in response and Minho decides that he doesn’t really have to change his clothes that urgently. Not when Jisung, warm, soft Jisung, is waiting for him with cuddles. 

**龍**

Answering the door is already one of Minho’s least favourite things. Understandably, answering the door before noon is even worse. He was going to kill whoever was behind that door for making him get up and leave Jisung and the warmth of his bed. Reluctantly, he opens the door and at the same time, he hears light footsteps tapping the floor behind him.

‘Minho’, Jisung whines sleepily. He drags out the  _ o _ in his name which makes him sound like a baby and Minho turns around to him with a smile, completely forgetting about the door.

‘What’s going on?’ Jisung’s hair is all messy and fluffy and he looks adorably tiny in Minho’s shirt. The older can’t help but pull him into his arms and nuzzle his nose into Jisung’s hair.

He kisses the top of Jisung's head softly and says, ‘Good morning sleepyhead. Did you rest well?’

Jisung nods. ‘Slept like an over-fed forest dragon.’

Minho’s smile grows impossibly wider and he ruffles his boyfriend's hair. ‘That’s not how the expression goes, darling.’

‘Hmm, but it’s how it should go. Everyone knows babies rarely sleep through the whole night. If you feed a forest dragon enough it won’t wake up for the next twenty hours.’ 

Jisung’s voice is still laced with sleep just like his eyes are still half closed and Minho feels a burst of affection in his chest. He is about to reach out and tilt up the younger’s chin to place a kiss on his slightly pouty lips when someone coughs.

‘Am I interrupting something?,’ a voice asks and Minho instinctively replies with a ‘yes’ before registering whose voice it actually was. He flinches away from Jisung and immediately feels bad when the younger’s fingers curl into his shirt.

Minho had honestly forgotten about their guest at the door. He hadn’t even registered who it was before. Now that he had, he wishes he would not have fought the urge to stay in the warm bed with Jisung cuddled up in his arms.

‘I’m sorry, mother. This is Jisung, Jisungie, this is my mother.’ His voice sounds stilted as he vaguely gestures between the two of them. ‘Is there something you need?’

His mother smiles warmly and Minho doesn’t register anything for a moment. That’s not the reaction he expected.

‘Can I not just want to visit my own son?’ She looks at Jisung who is still holding onto his boyfriend’s shirt. ‘It’s so nice to meet you Jisung. You can call me Ana.’

Jisung’s cheeks flush a pretty pink and he responds with a hasty nod and bow to the woman.

Minho’s mother looks at them for a moment, before saying, ‘Let me in already I’ll make you two some breakfast.’

Another moment later that it takes Minho to process the statement, they’re in the kitchen and his mother is rummaging through the cupboards. Chan is going to kill him. 

Minho wraps his arm around Jisung’s waist again and just as his mother turns around he’s nuzzling his nose into the youngers hair.

To his surprise, his mother just smiles again. ‘You know, I thought you’d never find someone! No wonder you kept rejecting all those nice girls if you had told me I’d have set you up with some nice boys!’ Minho cannot quite follow his mother’s babbling. ‘I was so excited for my grandchildren, but I guess it can’t be helped. Well, Jisungie, if you ever need anything, just tell me!’

Minho is honestly starstruck and only barely registers as his boyfriend thanks her and excuses himself from the kitchen to get dressed. Minho kind of misses his warmth, but he also really needs to talk to his mother.

‘How did you just work this out with yourself in like thirty seconds,’ he asks as he takes the plates his mother hands him to place them on the table. 

The woman laughs. ‘Oh, it was easy. I know I wasn’t the best mum when you were younger, so I need to make it up somehow. I really just want you to be happy.’ Minho almost drops one of the plates. ‘I can’t do anything about your father though, you’ll need to talk to him yourself,’ she adds as a more quiet afterthought.

Minho sighs. ‘Let’s just… not do that for a while. I wanna figure some things out first.’ He joins his mother at the counter and reaches for the eggs from the shelf over his head.

His mother nods and looks at him. ‘You’ve grown up so much... look at you, living on your own and knowing how to cook and getting a boyfriend.’ She smiles sadly. ‘I’m sorry I wasn’t really there to see you grow up.’

His cheeks heat up at that, but there’s a similar warmth settling in his chest and he thinks he feels content.

When Jisung comes down wearing another one of Minho’s shirts and hugging him from behind to place a kiss on his shoulder because he can’t reach up to his cheek, Minho feels like he’s being huddled up in a blanket and nothing can harm him anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> yaaay you made it!  
> thank you for reading, i appreaciate it so much!! i hope you enjoyed it and you look forward to the following works in this series or maybe even some of my works outside this series uwu  
> i write skz usually, so maybe check out my woochan fics or my seungjin fic!
> 
> please leave kudos or a comment if you enjoyed it, tell me about your favourite part or what you think might happen to the other members in the next parts idk ^^ i really appreciate them all so much!
> 
> or you can yell at me on twitter @yeiiowpostits !


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